Virginia scaped by Syracuse 28-25 in an ugly game, is it time to panic?
Right around halftime I was feeling very negative about the Virginia program and to be honest was ready to throw the game and season out based on what I saw in the first half. After the game, I still feel pretty negative and do not think this Virginia team is anywhere NEAR as good as we were thinking. However, Virginia won the football game, made the plays that needed to be made, and sent Syracuse back up north upset. So, beyond all the struggles and flaws, Virginia won and is now 4-2. Coach Tony Elliott was adamant postgame that he will not apologize for winning a conference game. “I’m not apologizing for winning at the end of the day, the guys were down 10, and they found a way to come back and win an ACC game.”
Virginia entered the Syracuse game as double digit favorites, coming off of a blowout loss to Florida State. Syracuse entering the game was not a very good football team, perhaps a good get right game for Virginia before going on the road to SMU next week.
Trying to rejuvenate this program Saturday night started on the right foot, Virginia cruised down the field with a mixture of handoffs and passes to score a touchdown early. However, does that start of a game sound familiar at all? Virginia did the same thing in its loss to West Virginia and Florida State. Syracuse responded, starting third string QB Malachi Nelson; Nelson cruised down the field with some nice plays of his own to tie the game 7-7.
Virginia would achieve one first down the next drive before having to punt; Syracuse then cruised down the field again. Riding off Malachi Nelson’s 51 yard pass to Umari Hatcher, the Orange would find the end zone to Hatcher on a 13 yard pass. Sound familiar at all?
Virginia’s offense would move a total of 27 yards the rest of the half. Towards the end of the half, Syracuse made their drive off of penalties to threaten. Virginia committed a total of 45 yards worth of penalties, allowing Syracuse into field goal range to complete a 29 yard field goal. Three penalties worth 15 yards a piece, all on third down. Roughing the passer, unnecessary roughness, and pass interference.
Credit to the Virginia defense, it did not give up any points in the third quarter, with the help of a missed field goal from Syracuse. However, the Cavalier offense immediately went three and out in its first drive and then punted on its second possession. After Virginia earned solid field position forcing a Syracuse punt, Beau Pribula found Da’Shawn Martin for 37 yards for six. The Orange led the Wahoos 17-14 to close the 3rd quarter.
I have to be honest; I was sure this game was over in the midst of the third quarter. I am typically on the optimistic side, but Virginia looked flat out bad in the first two quarters and a half. However, I will give credit, the ‘Hoos played an outstanding fourth quarter. Virginia’s first fourth quarter drive featured numerous completions from Beau Pribula, setting up for a return of the direct snap to Jekail Middlebrook for three yards and a touchdown. Virginia would then force another punt where Syracuse punter Jimmy Gregg made a critical mistake, accidentally kneeling down before his punt giving Virginia excellent field position. After a collection of rushes, Jekail Middlebrook ran another direct snap into the end zone for a touchdown.
Syracuse did not go down without a fight however, Malachi Nelson fired a ball downfield for 30 yards. Fourth string QB Danny Lauter then entered the game and threw a 46 yard touchdown pass on third down, then completing a two-point conversion to make the score 28-25. The touchdown pass should not have happened, Christian Ellis was in perfect position to pick it off or at least force a breakup, he was exposed however, by Syracuse tight end Daunte Bacheyie.
All Virginia needed to end the game was one first down… and they did not get it. Daniel Sparks punted 46 yards to pin Syracuse at their own 13. After a couple of dropped interceptions, fourth string QB Danny Lauter could not find an open receiver on fourth down to end the game.
Quick postgame takeaways:
QB Beau Pribula – Pribula once again did not impress for three quarters, multiple incompletions and just bad passes. Once again, however, credit to him for finding it when it mattered most late. He found Da’Shawn Martin in the end zone for a big momentum swing and did not look back. The performance was still not good enough for us to expect him to be excellent week in and week out though.
Fourth quarter offense – Virginia’s offense finally woke up in the fourth quarter and looked competent. OC Des Kitchings went in his bag with a few successful speed options and then the return of the direct snap. The direct snaps were setup from the previous couple of plays. Virginia shifted the line and motioned tight end around the previous couple of plays. So, when Virginia did it this time, it masked Pribula shifting out of the way for Middlebrook to take the snap. I asked offensive lineman Monroe Mills after the game if he enjoyed moving as much as he was shifting to opposite sides of the line; he replied, “We’re offensive linemen, of course we don’t like moving very much, but if its working, we’ll do it.”
Defense looked better – The defense did not miss nearly as many tackles as it did in previous games. The secondary certainly had some issues, especially at corner between Christian Ellis and Jacobie Henderson. However, the run defense stood strong, and Virginia made the stops it needed to for a victory.
Strength of opponent – Now, the last few takeaways I mentioned needed to be taken with a grain of salt. Please remember, this was Syracuse, a very bad ACC team. They also were playing their 3rd string and 4th string quarterbacks. Virginia looked very bad for 3 quarters, there is a lot to worry about still. What we do know is Virginia found a way and is past halfway to bowl eligibility. The ‘Hoos won, but there are a lot of issues that must be resolved for any sort of success down the line.
In conclusion – Virginia plays at a ranked SMU team next week. I am not thinking Virginia will have much of a chance, but who knows, SMU has not looked very good either. The ‘Hoos have a lot of work to do but at least got the victory and can have a little momentum entering next week. Besides, Virginia Tech lost to Cal earlier tonight, so it was a good week after all.